Latvian citizenship can be obtained in three ways - by application (naturalization), origin (repatriation) or birth (blood right). The conditions for granting legal status are regulated by the law “Pilsonības likums”. Those who are not ethnically belonging to the local people usually apply for a passport after 10 years of permanent residence as a resident. You will need to learn Latvian, pass an integration test, have a stable and legal source of income for self-sufficiency, and in some cases - write a renunciation of your current citizenship.

Citizenship status gives you the right to obtain a Latvian and European Union passport. With it you can travel without a visa to most countries of the world, as well as permanently reside in any of the EU countries together with family members without additional requirements. After moving to Europe, you have the right to work, study and do business under the same conditions as the local population. Citizenship of the Republic of Latvia is inherited and will not be revoked even if you reside abroad.

All the rights of Latvian citizens are available to EU passport holders. Book a free legal consultation to check your chances of obtaining EU citizenship under simplified procedures in just 4-12 months.

How one can obtain the status of a Latvian citizen

According to the Law “On Citizenship” of Latvia, it is possible to obtain a passport in the Republic on the following grounds:

• Naturalization.
  You can obtain Latvian citizenship if you have lived in the country for at least 5 years with a permanent resident card. A permanent residence permit is also issued 5 years after moving with a residence permit, i.e., the total period of required legal stay is 10 years. You will need to pass exams for knowledge of the national language, the provisions of the Constitution, the basics of history and culture, as well as learn the anthem and the oath. You must have a stable source of income, not pose a threat to the state, and sometimes - also relinquish your current passport.
• Repatriation.
  The Republic grants citizenship by roots to those who can prove with documents that they belong to the state nation - Latvians or Livs. This also applies to those who forcibly lost their citizenship after 17.06.1940 (e.g., left the country after the Soviet occupation or were forcibly deported) and their descendants. Repatriates do not have to fulfill residency standards, renounce current citizenship, or demonstrate financial security.
• Birthright.
  Latvian citizenship, irrespective of the place of birth, may be automatically granted to a child whose at least one parent holds a passport of the Republic. The same status is granted to children found on the territory of the country whose origin could not be established. A passport is also issued to a stateless child who does not become a citizen of another state by inheritance. These rules also apply to adopted children and those under guardianship.

It is impossible to buy a Latvian passport legally. Investments in the economy of the republic allow you to obtain a temporary residence permit, but do not entitle you to accelerated naturalization. Passport after marriage with a Latvian is also issued in the standard procedure. There is no “right of soil” in the country - children born on the territory of Latvia in the family of foreigners receive the citizenship of their mother and/or father.

How Latvian citizenship is formalized according to the standard procedure

Foreigners who cannot become Latvians by ancestors, it is available to obtain citizenship of the republic only within the framework of standard naturalization. To do this, you need to:

1. Move to the country with a temporary residence permit.
   To start the naturalization procedure, you choose a suitable reason to immigrate to Latvia and apply to the diplomatic mission for a residence permit. For example, you can open a residence permit for labor or commercial activity, for investments, purchase of real estate, for family or humanitarian reasons. If you are already legally staying in the country (with a visa), you can apply for a residence card at the Latvian Citizenship and Migration Board.
2. Renew your residence permit (if applicable) and apply for a permanent residence permit.
   The primary Latvian residence permit is issued for a period from one year to 5 years. To extend it, you must still have a legal reason to live in the country. The process of re-registration in the migration authorities is identical to the opening of the first residence permit. After 5 years of permanent residence in the country, you apply to the Office for a permanent resident card. It is issued if you have earned at least 740 EUR per month during the last year and know Latvian language at the level of A2 or higher.
3. Reside with a permanent residence permit and apply for citizenship.
   You need to spend 5 years in Latvia as a permanent resident, after which you can apply for citizenship by naturalization. The request together with the dossier is submitted online or by mail to the Citizenship and Migration Board. After submitting the application, you will take language and integration examinations within 2 months. In addition, you will be required to take part in an oath ceremony if it is determined that you meet the conditions for naturalization. Then you wait 6-12 months for the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers, receive a letter of admission to Latvian citizenship and apply to the Office for a new identity card within 30 days.

Important nuances of acquiring citizenship in Latvia

Forming a package of documents

For naturalization in Latvia, you prepare the following dossier:

• a personally filled in application form, which is available on the portal of the Office of Migration and Citizenship Affairs;
• an identity document, e.g., a passport (if the application is submitted by post, only certified copies should be sent);
• proof of fulfillment of the norms of permanent residence in the country (e.g., employment contract, certificate from the State Social Insurance Agency or commercial register);
• a document proving the availability of a legal source of funds for self-support (alternatively, a certificate of income, information from the pension fund or a bank account statement);
• a photo measuring 30 x 40 millimeters;
• a receipt for payment of the state duty;
• a certificate of no criminal record from your home country, issued not earlier than six months prior to the submission of the request.

The application must be filled out in Latvian and must include a contact phone number. Documents issued abroad sometimes need to be translated and legalized in accordance with the procedure established by regulatory acts (depends on the country of your current citizenship).

You may include your children under 15 years of age in the request without paying additional state duty, if they are permanently residing in Latvia together with you. A child over 15 years of age participates in a separate standard naturalization procedure. The general dossier must be accompanied by proof that the children live in the Republic, usually certificates from kindergarten or school.

Language and History Examination

Naturalized aliens must pass a test of knowledge of the Latvian language, basic provisions of the Constitution, the text of the National Anthem, historical and socio-cultural peculiarities of the Republic. The examinations are conducted by territorial offices of the Citizenship and Migration Board in the following cities:

• Riga;
• Daugavpils;
• Ventspils (field testing);
• Liepaja.

An applicant for citizenship must know Latvian at a level that allows him/her to successfully integrate into the society and speak it in everyday life. The test includes listening, reading, writing and speaking. The exams also include 10 basic questions on the history and culture of the country, and another 8 on the basics of the constitution.

The Office's website offers online tests to help you pre-test your knowledge for naturalization. It also sells thematic study materials. People with disabilities, those who have reached the age of 65 or those who have completed their education in Latvian-language educational institutions are fully or partially exempted from the exams.

Dual citizenship in Latvia

There are no treaties on dual citizenship between Latvia and other countries of the world. This means that when obtaining a local passport, you cannot be considered a citizen in several countries at the same time. However, the Republic allows second and multiple citizenship with some countries, in particular:

• EU/EFTA/NATO states;
• Australia;
• Brazil;
• New Zealand.

If you are a citizen of one of the above countries and naturalize in Latvia, you can keep your current passport. Otherwise, it will have to be officially renounced and the relevant documents will have to be submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers.

Children under the age of 18 have the right to second or multiple citizenship in Latvia. The way of obtaining a passport (e.g., by birth or naturalization together with parents) does not matter in this case. However, when the child reaches the age of 25, he/she will have to renounce the citizenship of Latvia or another country of his/her own choice, if the second country is not included in the list above.

Repatriates in Latvia do not have to renounce their current citizenship. This applies to those who are descendants of Latvians or Livonians, as well as those whose ancestors were expelled from the country, including forced deprivation of citizenship status.

In a number of European Union states it is possible to obtain citizenship according to a simplified procedure - with it you have the right to move to Latvia without additional requirements. Then you will not need to live in the country as a resident beforehand, take integration exams, provide a certificate of income and give up your current passport. Detailed information about this will be provided by Immigrantinlaw specialists during a free consultation.

Why can be denied the request of citizenship?

Obtaining Latvian citizenship is impossible for those who have criminal convictions, are found to have links with terrorists and extremists, or participate in discriminatory illegal movements. Requests are not approved if the candidate has tax or other debts to the Republic.

Passports are not issued to those who are serving in the armed forces of other countries without the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers. The authorities also check the biography of people who lived in the period of the USSR. If it turns out that at that time the applicant committed actions that directly impede Latvian independence, he will be denied naturalization.

Latvian citizen's passport

Within one month after obtaining Latvian citizenship, you must apply for an identity card. The electronic identification card (eID) is issued for 10 years to persons over 20 years of age. It contains the individual number of the Latvian passport, which consists of two letters and seven digits, as well as the period of issue/validity of the document. In addition, the card contains your basic personal information, photo and biometric data in digitized form. The eID certifies your identity in the Republic of Latvia and is also used as a travel document in the EU, EEA and Switzerland.

After becoming a Latvian citizen, you can apply for a foreign passport. It entitles you to visit more than 160 countries, including the whole of Europe and North America, without opening a visa or with an electronic entry permit. The document is a book with a red cover. It contains one plastic page with your personal data and paper pages for visa stickers or stamps. The validity of a passport for traveling abroad for people who have celebrated their twentieth birthday is also 10 years. The procedure for issuing an eID card and a passport is the same:

1. Visit to the territorial representation of the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (by appointment or by “live” queue).
2. Submitting a request (if you are applying for an eID-card for the first time, come to the reception with an adult relative who can confirm your identity).
3. Photographing for the documents and paying the administrative fee.
4. Waiting for the finished passport within 2-10 working days (depends on the amount of the administrative fee you have paid).
5. Receiving the documents in person.

Costs of procedures related to obtaining citizenship

Naturalization is the most expensive procedure for those wishing to become Latvian citizens. Participants of the procedure have to pay administrative fees at each stage from visa opening to the processing of national documents. It is also necessary to reside in the country for a long time and incur related expenses (rent or purchase of real estate, payment of utilities, covering everyday expenses). The total cost of passport processing can end up costing thousands of euros.

Citizenship by birth is granted automatically and free of charge, but this basis is suitable for few foreigners. Repatriates pay only state fees for application processing (in some cases exemption is possible) and subsequent issuance of a Latvian passport. Below are the basic rates of administrative fees that are relevant in 2025.

What advantages does a Latvian passport offer?

By obtaining the status of a Latvian citizen, you receive the following privileges:

• free visit to more than 160 countries without having to apply for a visa at a consulate;
• residence anywhere in the European Union without time restrictions;
• official work in EU states, where the average salary is 2400 EUR per month;
• representation of commercial interests at the international level, e.g., foreign trade, simple opening of business visas;
• registration of grants and subsidies under private and state programs of the European Union;
• protection against extradition to other states and receiving a full package of social support from the country;
• the right to inherit the status of EU citizen without additional conditions;
• receiving prestigious higher education, as well as free education of children in kindergartens and schools;
• access to reliable banks and modern European clinics on conditions that are not available to foreigners.

Individual selection of immigration program

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How to obtain the rights of Latvian citizens in an accelerated procedure  

The Republic of Latvia is not interested in the influx of migrants, so it grants the right to obtain citizenship on a limited list of grounds. If you do not have Latvian roots, you will have to live in the country for 10 years or more to obtain a passport. It is much faster and easier to immigrate here together with family members, having a passport of another state of the European Union. This is due to the equal rights of all citizens of the association, which is enshrined in Directive 2004/38/EC and related regulations.

Such EU countries as Romania, Slovenia and Bulgaria implement simplified citizenship programs for foreigners. With the assistance of migration lawyers, you can obtain a second EU passport in a maximum of one year. You will not have to study foreign languages in depth, invest large amounts in foreign economies, or comply with regulations on prior residence abroad. International law specialists of Immigrantinlaw will conduct a comprehensive analysis of documents and recommend the best immigration programs according to your situation.

Assistance in registration of a second citizenship

According to immigrants, citizenship in the European Union is best accomplished with the support of international legal experts. Legal assistance is a guarantee that you will not make any mistakes and will receive a second passport at the first attempt in the shortest possible time. Immigrantinlaw specialists do not offer template solutions, but make a personalized plan of action for each client, taking into account his immigration intentions and background.

An assigned lawyer accompanies the immigrant at every stage of the procedure, so that the accession to EU citizenship passed without unnecessary excitement and effort. International law specialists regularly monitor changes in EU legislation and recommend only relevant programs that do not require large investments and long waiting times. You can make an appointment for a free consultation today and receive an EU passport in 2025.

About the author

Diana Weber

Lawyer of international law

Diane Weber is an international law specialist with 10 years of legal practice experience. Her portfolio includes successful stories of citizenship in different European Union countries under simplified procedures. Diana provides detailed advice and helps many people to achieve their immigration goals in a short period of time, including resolving visa issues, assisting in obtaining residence permits and citizenship in the EU countries. In her blog, Diana Weber enjoys providing readers with detailed information about the features of most popular programs for obtaining a second passport.